Provision of leisure facilities towards improving the quality of life in the residential inner city : a case study of Albert park.

Abstract

In South African cities, the subdivision of the social world and spaces which the public inhabits tends to manifest and reflect itself in the leisure choices that the public makes. It has been proven that leisure choices and experiences affect an individual's mental state and experience and in addition, they superimpose a long lasting structure onto human societies. Contemporary inner city housing developments are infested with antisocial challenges which are in the form of delinquency, alcohol abuse and drug trafficking. If such challenges go by unchecked, it may lead to a totally deteriorated society and environment. The aim of this dissertation is to explore the possibility of facilitating social and economic upliftment amongst inner city youth through provision of adequate and appropriate leisure facilities and spaces. From a planning and an architectural approach, the intention is to reveal how architecture may be used to alleviate the social ills that have infested the residential inner city. It is believed that architecture and the built environment should play a role in correcting, improving and echoing the ethics and values of its users such that there is a mutual harmony and coexistence.